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My wife and I paid an attortney to get Ohio birth certificates for our foreign adopted children. Can we use this as a deduction?

Our children already have birth certificates from their country of origin, but we needed to get Ohio birth certificates.

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LinaJ2018
Intuit Alumni

My wife and I paid an attortney to get Ohio birth certificates for our foreign adopted children. Can we use this as a deduction?

No, you cannot use it as a deduction this year, unfortunately.  

With the nex tax reform TCJA,  it eliminates miscellaneous itemized deductions including the legal fees. Prior to the 2017 Act, you could deduct legal fees that were greater than 2% of your adjusted gross income as a miscellaneous expense. However, not anymore after 2017.  There are still some legal fees might qualify for a deduction against your gross income like discrimination or Trade & Business related but they won't apply to you. 


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1 Reply
LinaJ2018
Intuit Alumni

My wife and I paid an attortney to get Ohio birth certificates for our foreign adopted children. Can we use this as a deduction?

No, you cannot use it as a deduction this year, unfortunately.  

With the nex tax reform TCJA,  it eliminates miscellaneous itemized deductions including the legal fees. Prior to the 2017 Act, you could deduct legal fees that were greater than 2% of your adjusted gross income as a miscellaneous expense. However, not anymore after 2017.  There are still some legal fees might qualify for a deduction against your gross income like discrimination or Trade & Business related but they won't apply to you. 


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